Dumb Philodendron Questions

[JohnAndSancho]

First off, do y'all think this one is salvageable? It's still pushing the new leaf, but the rest are all sad and droopy. Do I treat this like a palm, where you leave the foliage alone as long as it's still green? Apparently the pot and soil weren't draining as well as I thought, so I put it in dry soil, cleaned the roots, and put it in a smaller pot. I haven't given it any water in about a week. It's a McColley's Finale, and I bought it as part of a bundle and it's the reason I bought them. I really want this one to live. Anything else I can do? Heat mat? 

 

Do the new leaves in these next 2 pics look normal? I'm new to these, and I've gotten used to how my Congo Red leaves look when they emerge (3rd pic). Also, these new leaves seem like they're taking longer to emerge. Is it because they're adjusting to their new home, or is the Congo Red just that much faster? The other 2 are a Moonlight and Prince of Orange. 

 

[SeanK]

No expert here, but if it's pushing a new leaf, I would help it along. Figure out the right soil moisture and light level.

[happypalms]

It is alive! Philodendron are easy don’t overwater them!

[JohnAndSancho]

On 5/26/2025 at 3:29 AM, happypalms said:

It is alive! Philodendron are easy don’t overwater them!

I've got 4 that look great and this one that looks like ass. Can't complain 😂

[JohnAndSancho]

Welp I'm still waiting on the new leaves to open on the Prince of Orange and Moonlight, Congo Rojo is already pushing another leaf, and McColley's Finale looks even worse but it's still trying to push a new leaf. I've had the Congo Rojo for probably a year and I don't remember it struggling - is it possible that the others are just slower due to transplant shock/being greenhouse grown? It's also really obvious that they were cuttings which is fine, but the McColley just didn't look like it had much of a root structure at all. 

Should I maybe hit it with some copper fungicide on the cut mark or something? A friend also suggested I try water rooting it to let it grow more roots and then repot it. I'm trying to remember who our Philo expert is on here. 

[JohnAndSancho]

Welp I hit it with copper fungicide. It's still pushing that leaf but all the other foliage is yellowing and browning. I'll just blame the grower if it dies despite the other 2 I bought growing amazingly. 

[SeanK]

Two Questions:

1. What is the most cold-hardy Philodendron?

2. How cold-hardy are the leaves of P.selloum?

[JohnAndSancho]

52 minutes ago, SeanK said:

Two Questions:

1. What is the most cold-hardy Philodendron?

2. How cold-hardy are the leaves of P.selloum?

Hmm. 1 is the selloum. This made me think about a really old pic where I saw them growing as actual trees outside a restaurant. 

2. I'm trying to paste a link to a thread here from 2009 but for some reason paster no pasting. Anyway the thread is titled Philodendron Selloum Freeze Recovery and apparently they're pretty damn cold hardy. 

[JohnAndSancho]

On 5/24/2025 at 4:03 AM, JohnAndSancho said:

First off, do y'all think this one is salvageable? It's still pushing the new leaf, but the rest are all sad and droopy. Do I treat this like a palm, where you leave the foliage alone as long as it's still green? Apparently the pot and soil weren't draining as well as I thought, so I put it in dry soil, cleaned the roots, and put it in a smaller pot. I haven't given it any water in about a week. It's a McColley's Finale, and I bought it as part of a bundle and it's the reason I bought them. I really want this one to live. Anything else I can do? Heat mat? 

 

Do the new leaves in these next 2 pics look normal? I'm new to these, and I've gotten used to how my Congo Red leaves look when they emerge (3rd pic). Also, these new leaves seem like they're taking longer to emerge. Is it because they're adjusting to their new home, or is the Congo Red just that much faster? The other 2 are a Moonlight and Prince of Orange. 

 

@piping plovers? @metalfan? @Silas_Sancona? Seems like y'all are way more knowledgeable than I am about these. 

[piping plovers]

On 6/23/2025 at 9:06 PM, JohnAndSancho said:

Do the new leaves in these next 2 pics look normal?

Hi, I’ve not grown those varieties; however, nothing looks out of the ordinary for philodendron growth.  Only time I’ve experienced real slowness is with some real warm growing ones during winter when night temperatures went below 60 for weeks in the sunroom .  
 

I can’t imagine that would be an issue for you  now since it’s June and you’re in TX (if I’m remembering correctly).

maybe someone who grows these can weigh in with more specifics on their growth.
 

keep us posted, they look like interesting types to grow.

[meridannight]

I have experience with many Philodendra varieties, and they shouldn't be struggling to push new leaves like that. They're quite fast and really easy to grow. I look at your pictures, and in my opinion your potting soil is too dry. While it's true that you can let the Philodendra dry out a little from time to time, they do like their water and moisture. I water mine very often and only when I see that the mix is becoming soggy, do I cut back on watering and let them go a bit dry. Your mix seems to be quite airy as well, and I would water a mix like that every day. (Not saying you should water daily, it depends on the temps and humidity in your growth environment. But I would definitely water more often than you seem to be doing).

Philodendra don't go into transplant shock in my experience. You can chop them to bits and divide and trim the roots and they will just pick it up where they were left off. So, maybe they're just slower. 
 

[JohnAndSancho]

32 minutes ago, meridannight said:

I have experience with many Philodendra varieties, and they shouldn't be struggling to push new leaves like that.
Philodendra don't go into transplant shock in my experience. You can chop them to bits and divide and trim the roots and they will just pick it up where they were left off. So, maybe they're just slower. 
 

It is a very light and airy soil mix. Do you think I should pull the struggling one out of the pot and put it in water to try to establish more roots @meridannight? I've got some new cuttings sitting in water since I posted this. If just perplexed me because I've got the one that's doing amazing and getting pretty big, a couple that look ok, just taking forever to open the new leaves, and the one that looks like I left it in a hot car for a month. I've been watering them all weekly.